If I Let You Go, I'd Die
by Nikki H 13
Summary: Red was scared of losing Blue. When things take a turn for the worse, and a mysterious man shows up threatening the people they love, Red and Blue are called away on an adventure. Do they have a chance a beating the shadow-man, or will their world be shoved back into a world of war, and despair. Red/Blue Appearances by Gold, and Lyra


Stay

Chapter 1: Return of a Hero, Intro to a Mad-Man

A cold wind blew across Mt. Silver, as the twenty-three year old Red stood atop its peek. His faithful companion, Pika, rested on his shoulder, tucked nicely under the scarf Blue had made for him.

The wind was Red's favorite part. It was like a mixture of every aurora in the region swirled around him. He could feel in the wind the balance of everything. He could feel the Rattata's scourging for food. He could feel every event to unfold, every conversation to be had. The emotions of people drifted around him like a million stories to be told, and he was their only listener.

Red inhaled a deep breath, and Pika emerged from the scarf to have his own little brown one. Pika followed his trainers lead and inhaled.

"Pika!" exclaimed the yellow rodent type pokemon. "Pikachu!" He said happily and Red chuckled a little, before looking over the town of Viridian. Blue was suppose to be coming to see him today. He was excited to hear from his old rival.

Blue looked after Red's mother, while Red was away. He would tell him of how his mother was doing, and if she needed anything. Red consistently asked about her illness, to which Blue always replied "If you are so worried go and check on her."

Red never did though. He could tell how she was, and that was enough. The wind was powerful, and he liked that.

Pika smiled again, but it was short lived as a strong wind whipped through the air. It reeked of darkness and danger. It was heading straight for Viridian.

Pika leaped off of Red's shoulder, and began to spark with the intense feel. "Pika! Pika!" He said and Red nodded, pulling out one of his many pokeballs.

"Let's go." He whispered to Pika, before calling out his Charizard.

Pika hopped back on his trainers shoulder and together they flew down the mountain for the first time in three years.

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Blue looked up at Mt. Silver with his large back pack resting on his shoulders. He always hated going up Mt. Silver. He wished Red would come down and enjoy the spring air.

Blue really wished he would fly down and visit him for once, but that would never happen. Red would never come down from the snowy mountain top, and Blue would be forced to forever climb the mountain, until either him or Red crocked.

Blue frowned at the thought of being eighty years, and still climbing the coldest damn mountain in the region.

"Eevee…" He said looking down at his feet to see the pokemon staring over at a restaurant, as a little girl called at her. "Check. Pokeballs." He looked down at his belt to see them all there, his Pidgeot even twitched with excitement for the trip. "Check. And-"

He began, but was cut off by a dark laughter.

He turned around to see a dark cloaked figure. He was tall with long slicked back hair, and piercing dark eyes. He was clean shaven and if it wasn't for the massive black smoke that moved around him, he might have been handsome.

"Creepy caped bad guy. Check!" Blue smirked as Eevee began to hiss at the caped man.

The shadow man grinned, but it seemed fuzzy as if it was a ghost of a smile. "Please, that was my fathers name. Call me, Mandrake."

Blue narrowed his eyes. "Uh-huh. What do you want, Mandrake?" He said with as much sass as he could.

"I'm looking for a boy. Are you him?"

"I can't tell you how many times I've heard that." Blue said placing a hand on his pokeball belt. This guy was after his Red. He could tell.

"I'm looking for Red." He said bluntly, and Blue tensed up.

"He's not here." Blue said with a glare now.

"I'm aware, but you can help me find him."

The air around them was getting thicker. The buzzing of the streets stopped and everyone grew uneasy. Blue's ace trainers watched worriedly out the window of the gym.

"I won't tell you!" Blue said after a moment of silence, he pulled his Rhydon from his belt. "You won't get to him!" He yelled releasing his Rhydon.

It wasn't out for more then five seconds, when Rhydon went flying across the road, and into a fire hydrant. Water began to erupt from the damaged item sending water all over the trainers.

Blue was soaked from head to toe. Each article of clothing felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds. His coat, two thousand all on its own.

"Rhydon!" Blue growled at the shadow man, and returned he pokemon. "Pidgeot! Go!"

Pidgeot appeared from its ball letting out a load squawk.

"Pidgeot use whirlwind" Blue yelled, and began flapping its wings rapidly clearing out the black smog that had crept its away around the city of Viridian.

"Good job Pidgeot! Now use-What!" Blue gasped as the thick fog surrounded them again faster then it had before. "That's impossible! He doesn't even have a pokemon out!"

Pidgeot fell to the ground, and Blue was forced to return his pokemon.

Mandrake grinned at him. "It is my smoke. It is like a continues shield. No pokemon can touch me, while its up." He started to laugh maniacally. "that means you are finished." He yelled sending his smoke hurling at Blue.

Blue flinched taking a step back, slipping in the water that surrounded him. His ankle began to ache, and he was certain he sprang it.

He waited for the impact, but nothing came. He peeked his eyes open to see the one and only Red as he commanded his Charizard to use flamethrower..

Blue's eyes widened at the sight of the pale boy, turned man. He looked thinner then he had last month, but he looked good. He spent a lot of time up on that mountain training, not physically, but mentally. He was still ripped, and this showed as the water soaked his t-shirt. Red had a certain way about him that made you want to get closer.

No one ever could though. No one, but Blue.

"Red…" Blue said softly almost in a daze. "You are here."

Red gave a quick glance behind him at the trainer. "Always." He said before turning back to Mandrake. "Charizard." He said soft, but sternly.

The large fire pokemon stopped immediately. He looked back at his trainer as if asking for permission. Red waited a split second before nodding his head slightly.

Charizard exhaled a large breath clearing away the smoke. He began to flap its massive orange wings until it created a large gust. The smoke once again began to clear, and this time it stayed away from them.

Mandrake however seemed to be made of the stuff as it poured off of him in large waves.

Mandrake gave an unsettling grin that made Blue feel a unsafe. Red didn't flinch. He just stared blankly at the man. "So… You are looking for me…" Red began quietly as if unfazed by anything that was happening.

Blue mentally rolled his eyes. Red would always be Red.

Mandrake held a hand out in a welcoming motion. "Ah. Yes. I've been searching for you for quite sometime. You are a hard man to find. Where is it you have been hiding?"

Red didn't even bat an eye as he simply said. "Mt. Silver. I've been up there for a while. If you want too battle then you can battle me there. I won't battle you down here…"

_ People could get hurt… Blue could get hurt…_ Silently followed after that, but Red left it unsaid.

"Silly boy. I do not wish to battle, merely… extend a offer too you." Mandrake said shaking his head in distain.

"Not interested." Red said turning away to check on Blue.

It was true. Red didn't care about anything this man had to say to him. He had to make sure everyone was alright. That Blue was alright.

Mandrake looked a little disgruntled, but he quickly recovered. "You think, that a weakling like you, can tell me no?" He started to laugh, and Blue grew more unsettled.

"Red…" He said placing his hand on Red's arm, stopping his inspection. "Be careful… He is dangerous."

Red gave him a blank stare, or at least everyone else would think it was. Blue saw that Red was reading him, and Blue let him.

After a second Red nodded, and stood up. "Charizard, return." He said holding out his pokeball.

Blue's eyes widened. "Hey dummy! Did you not hear me? I just told you be careful. The usually means keep your guard up, not get rid of your pokemon."

Red didn't move. He stared Mandrake down in a unseen battle. Mandrake grinned at Red as if trying to show he wouldn't back down, and Red stared back with the same blank expression.

Finally Mandrake laughed, breaking their battle of staring. "You are truly a mystery Master Red."

Red just stared at him. "What do you want?"

"You. I want you to join my cause. I'm looking for a special type of human. People with the gift to bond with pokemon on a level such as yours. Your pokemon are not just pets, they are family. I need that bond."

Red pondered that for a long moment. "Why?"

"I wish to harness it and create a being stronger then anything on this earth. No more war, and no more death,"

Red once again pondered this, before sharply turning around and grabbing Blue, pulling him to his feet. "Not interested."

Mandrake frowned. "You dare refuse me?"

Blue raised an eyebrow at the man. "You are kind of dumb aren't you? Why would one of the strongest trainer in the world help you be evil?"

There was a shift in the wind. It was dark, and the cold.

"RED!" Mandrake yelled as the wind began to swirl. "You can not refuse me. I will destroy you!"

"No. You won't." Red said unimpressed by the man as he walked Blue over to the dry sidewalk. "Pika, thunder shock!" He yelled, startling Blue.

The yellow rodent jumped from the roof of the Viridian City gym. "Pika… CHU!" He screeched letting the powerful lighting attack hit the water.

Mandrake was engulfed in the attack before he had time to even blink.

Pika landed on the ground breathing roughly. "Pi Pika!" He said to Red.

"Stay alert. He may not be real, but he can still hurt you." Red said to his faithful friend.

Pika nodded.

"Not real? That guy took down my Rhydon, and Pidgeot, and you are telling me he isn't real? Are you crazy? That mountain destroyed your brain." Blue began, but was cut off by a dark laughter once more.

"Good observation, Red." Mandrake said from up above them. He looked as he had before the attack. The only difference being he had smoke pouring from his left shoulder. "Tell me. How did you know?"

Red grinned this time, and Blue once again was unsettled but for completely different reasons. "The first clue was that the water didn't stick to you."

Blue glanced over Mandrake, and gapped.

Red was right. Mandrake was bone dry, not even a drop of water on him.

Red continued on. "The second clue was that you went after Blue instead of coming to me. This tells me that you wanted to see what I was capable of. And last but not least," Red's face shifted into a dark glare. "You never sent a pokemon. Which means you are using Physic type pokemon to project your image here."

Mandrake clapped his hands together. "Very good Red. You are just as they say you are. You are a true pokemon master. A master, who won't blindly send their pokemon to die. You are the one I need."

Red still looked unimpressed and simply said. "I would never join someone like you. You use pokemon like tools. They are more then that. They are friends, family even. You make me sick. The answer is no."

Mandrake gave an irritated look for a split second before smiling. "Very well. I thought you might feel that way, so I took a bit of an insurance policy. If you change your mind Red, find me in Koori City." and with that he disappeared right before them.

There was a five second pause in which both Red and Blue looked at each, then Red released Charizard, and both Pika and the wounded Blue hopped on Charizard with Red and they flew off too pallet town.

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Red busted down the door to his mothers empty house.

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Please Review. Let me know what you think!


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